The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has scheduled a public hearing for proposed shellfish leases in Pender County. The hearing is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, and can be attended in person at Topsail Beach Town Hall, 820 S. Anderson Blvd., Topsail Beach, N.C., or virtually via Webex.
Lease applications up for consideration include those submitted by James B. Pumphrey and Benjamin Slay for a 0.51-acre shellfish bottom and water column lease in Topsail Marshes (Lease Nos. 24-015BL and 24-016WC). Another applicant, Thomas A. Cannon, seeks approval for two 1.33-acre shellfish bottom leases in Banks Channel (Lease Nos. 24-023BL and 24-024BL). All proposed sites will feature corner signage marking them as Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease and/or Water Column Lease with their respective lease numbers.
Interested individuals can comment on the applications during the hearing either in person or online. Participants intending to speak through Webex must register by 4 p.m. on Monday, April 14, 2025, at the provided website. Those attending in person may sign up to speak between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. before the hearing begins.
Additional materials for the hearing, such as the Webex link, call-in details, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports, are accessible online. Written comments will also be accepted until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, through an online comment form or by mail to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Shellfish Lease & Aquaculture Program in Morehead City, NC.
For further information, Marla Chuffo from the Division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section can be contacted at 252-515-5480 or via email.
“WHO: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
WHAT: Public Hearing on Proposed Shellfish Leases
WHEN: Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Topsail Beach Town Hall, 820 S. Anderson Blvd., Topsail Beach, N.C. 28445
ONLINE: Visit https://www.deq.nc.gov/news/events/pender-county-shellfish-lease-hearing to access links.”
